The switchover from Frontier to Verizon debacle continues in Cerritos, as HMG-CN continues to receive a large amount of phone calls complaining about the lack of cable, TV, Internet and customer service.

But the Cerritos City Council seems to be more interested in—passing an ordinance prohibiting vacation rentals in the City (when there are only 5 listed in the City); having untelevised and unrecorded meetings to raise the City’s sales tax; approving what is rumored to be a $500,000 car museum — as opposed to fighting for area residents that voted them into office.

There have been several other City Councils that have called in representatives from Frontier so they can face the music, why not Cerritos?

It is likely that the City Council, not wanting to spend hours listening to irate residents slam them for their inaction, does not want to request that Frontier attend a Cerritos Council meeting.

Once again they are more worried about getting elected and making their $60,000 a year in total pay and benefits rather than doing anything for the residents of Cerritos.

I remember years ago when the City’s air quality was rated poorest in LA County, Cancer-ritos as some called it.

The City Council acted very quickly, called in the Federal Government and days later got the agency to “clear the air.”

When the image of the City is under attack, the Council acts.

If residents are inconvenienced, the Council sends letters, in this case to Frontier.

Here are a few ideas for the Council related to the Internet and phone outages that might work.

First of all, meet with Frontier representatives; invite them to a Council meeting so the residents can let them know how unhappy they are. Invite Congresswoman Linda Sanchez and State Senator Tony Mendoza; tell Frontier executives they will be there.

In addition, why not set up an emergency hotline for residents to call so the City can provide limited minute phones to older adults who only have landlines.

You could fund the purchases by taking away the $400 per month car allowance each Councilmember has, I am sure they won’t object.

Heck, the City could buy the phones in Cerritos and make money off the sales tax.

I know the City was solicited by a company called Airmesh years ago. Airmesh set up Wi-Fi signal boxes all over the city, why not give that service free to residents until Frontier gets their act together.

How about negotiating with Charter, who has Wi-Fi hotspots in the City, until the problems are solved by Frontier.

That probably won’t happen since the City receives a “Franchise Fee” from local cable companies. Offering cable services free would cut into that fee, and we all know Cerritos can’t afford that with a $58 million reserve; but they can afford a museum.

And the ideas put forth in this opinion probably won’t happen either.

After all this is Cerritos where the council fancies themselves so powerful (and arrogant) that some violated the Brown Act to support a biased newspaper with City advertising dollars, a newspaper that will always support the Council majority of (R)’s.

The City support continues even after the R’s discover that its puppet “publisher,” Melinda Kimsey, falsely accused a fourth-grade teacher of pedophilia and sexual harassment and was forced to recant the entire story and pay a $20,000 fine.

I guess Brad and Janet don’t care that Kimsey falsely accused that teacher of pedophilia either.

And so the Frontier debacle will continue and HMG-CN will continue to receive phone calls from irate residents asking for a solution.

Maybe HMG-CN should publish the personal emails of all Cerritos City Council members so they can see how angry the residents are, and maybe they will finally do their job and fight for the residents…instead of building a car museum.

My thoughts and opinions are as follows. I welcome a discussion and any corrections or additions. City leadership in these parts appears to be nothing short of fiscal idiots. Sooner or later the house of cards will fall. Foxes in the chicken coop yelp that city is broke and residents need to pony up more money to pay for immoral and misguided spending approved by their city council. All this while a very long term city manager has collected millions in city pay and benefits over the years. Why hasn’t the city manager been able to explain that city must… Read more »

Vote Up0Vote Down Reply

2 years ago

Guest

Pubic Phone Booth

Will Frontier’s problems taking over for Verizon spell doom for the company? When Frontier Communications was preparing to take over Verizon’s landline-related operations in California, Texas and Florida, the company stressed that it would make the transition as smooth as possible. But as scores of newly minted Frontier customers know, that transition has been anything but smooth. Julie Rock said she endured a variety of problems before finally throwing up her hands and switching to Time Warner. “My phone messages were not accessible,” she said. “My phone would ring sporadically and say that I had a message but there was… Read more »

Vote Up0Vote Down Reply

2 years ago

Guest

Motor City

Many great points. Check out where those cars for the museum are being stored. On city property, that’s where At whose expense? At the city general funds expense. Is that even legal? Misuse of public funds for private benefit? Check out who’s being paid to watch those cars. City has the Sheriff’s department keeping on eye on the cars. Who’s watching your car? City paid for parking garage cameras aimed on area where those cars are parked. Video feed is displayed on monitors in sheriff’s station. Is that even legal? Misuse of public funds for private benefit? Is city paid… Read more »

Vote Up0Vote Down Reply

2 years ago

Guest

Granada Park

This Cerritos Council thinks they’re very regal, they’re above everybody else, and they’re just flush with perks and benefits. This will be the last time I even consider having an immigrant Seated on the council. They are seated there for their own race and nobody else. When will we have representation by districts, compared to ABC? Before this election of regal eating mice, always thought the immigrants in this country were the underdogs, while I have changed, immigrants are lizard covered snakes, praying on the economy of the residents who helped establish Cerritos 60 yrs ago. Pulido has way too… Read more »

Vote Up0Vote Down Reply

2 years ago

Guest

Cerritos Resident

Brian, last nite, it was announced at the Fine Arts commission, ( 5/19/2016) the next Fine Art commission will be in August, it will be non televised study session. It is open to the public with seating available but will not be televised. This is just bad business. The Commissioners wanted to talk about future projects without being televised. I don’t like that at all. Many of the community, are upset that the annual Cerritos Study Session was non televised and not archived on to the city web site!!! Where is transparency, this smells like city of Maywood-Bell corrupt government.… Read more »